'Frustrated' homeowner shoots deer-spotting girl in Fayette County

Police say Jeremy James Pritts admits firing shotgun

A 17-year-old girl is recovering from surgery after a man allegedly shot her while she was spotting for deer with her family at night near the man's rural Fayette County home.

"I'm feeling pretty rough," Cortney Snyder said from her hospital bed at UPMC Mercy. "The thing that hurts the most is my chest and my hands. I had open heart surgery."

Snyder said she still has BB pellets lodged in her finger, knuckles, right arm and face, and she had surgery to remove one from near her heart after the shooting Sunday night in Springfield Township. (SLIDESHOW: See her injury photos)

In an affidavit of probable cause, state police said Jeremy James Pritts admitted that he fired shots and told them that he "was frustrated with spotting and poaching in the area. He advised that he used a 12 gauge Mossberg pump action shotgun."

"She looked at me and she said, 'Dad, I'm hit,' and I said, 'Cortney, look at me,' and she looked at me and said, 'I love you,' and I don't know if it was from shock or what, but she passed out," Rick Snyder said.

According to the police affidavit, the girl told Trooper Anthony Vito that she was in a pickup truck with her father, her mother and another person on Foxburg Road when she saw a flash, heard a "bang" and fell over. It happened around 10:40 p.m.

A thick sweatshirt that she was wearing that night may have saved her life.

"Where she was penetrated, there was thick stitching, and the pellet went through the stitching and slowed it down enough that it didn't puncture her heart," said her sister, Niki.

Snyder said she's hoping to make a strong recovery and go home soon. "I'll be OK," she said.

Police said Pritts was arrested on charges of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and simple assault. Records show he was released from jail on $10,000 unsecured bond.

In photos: Teenage girl shot while deer spotting

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Cortney Snyder

Cortney Snyder

Cortney Snyder was hospitalized with BB and pellet injuries to her arms, face, chest and abdomen.